Alonso Says Aston Martin Still Has 'Couple Of Tenths In The Pocket' Ahead Of FP3 And Qualifying
F1Saturday, 18 November 2023 at 03:00
Fernando Alonso seemed satisfied with the pace of his Aston Martin car ahead of the FP3 and Qualifying Sessions for the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
F1 driver Fernando Alonso comes to Las Vegas after a strong weekend in Sao Paulo. The Spanish Matador managed to score a P3 in the last race and will want to repeat the success in the Sin City.
Following the Free Practice Session Two, the double World Champion told the media that the Las Vegas Strip Circuit has an unpredictability element with random grip in some breaking zones.
"It is an interesting circuit for sure with a lot of different corners and these long straights, which at night make the tires lose temperature a little bit, so the braking zones are interesting and a little bit random with the grip you will get."
The cold temperatures are one of the main talking points of the weekend. Alonso said things might get tricky when drivers will need to keep their tires warm behind the safety car.
"There could be a bit more adrenaline if there is a Safety Car or things like that when the tires can lose temperature, then it will be more tricky. But it's the same for everybody, and we should be ready."
The Aston Martin driver finished the FP2 session in third place behind Scuderia Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who already received a place grid penalty. Alonso is confident there is still more pace in his Aston Martin.
"We had a decent first day, I think we still need to optimize a few things in the car as everybody else does. Let's see with the full potential, we have a couple of tenths in the pocket for sure, but everybody does."
While the Spanish driver did not predict a super strong weekend in Las Vegas, it seems he might be in the mix for the podium finish. Alonso concluded:
"It's going to be very tight. We saw today, within two tenths there are 10 cars. You need to optimise everything in qualifying."
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